Men & Relationship Difficulties
Supporting men who are navigating relationship difficulties, separation, divorce, emotional challenges or major life transitions. Explore emotional awareness, communication, anger and stress regulation, relationship patterns, self-understanding and healthier ways of responding to conflict and change.
Self-absorption hinders effective communication by prioritizing one’s own experiences over others’. It leads to poor listening, defensiveness, and misunderstandings, ultimately creating a cycle of frustration and withdrawal. Healthy communication requires empathy and reciprocity, where both parties feel understood, rather than one dominating the conversation.… Read More How self-absorption interferes with communication
Understanding mixed signals in relationships involves recognizing the discrepancies between what individuals say and how they act. Key issues include manipulation, emotional ambivalence, and recurring behavior patterns that reveal underlying intentions. Distinguishing between isolated incidents and repeated behaviors aids in assessing relationship dynamics and making informed decisions without needing to prove others’ motives.… Read More Reading Between the Lines: When People’s Words and Actions Don’t Match
The content explores three emotional responses: bitterness, vengeance, and maliciousness, particularly following experiences like betrayal or conflict. Bitterness involves persistent resentment, vengeance focuses on retaliation, while maliciousness aims to harm others. Understanding these distinctions aids in trauma therapy and relationship recovery, as emotions can overlap but serve different purposes in healing.… Read More Bitterness, vengeance and maliciousness: definitions, characteristics and examples
When So Many People Are Telling You the Same Thing, Listen Sometimes the warning signs are not hidden. They are there. One person tells you something. You dismiss it as gossip. Another person tells you something similar. You decide they must have an agenda. Someone from the past tries to warn you. You are told… Read More Red Flags Everywhere
The content discusses how children learn behaviors from their parents, often unconsciously adopting negative patterns such as manipulation, disrespect, or cruelty. It emphasizes the importance of modeling healthy relationship dynamics, as children may later reflect these learned behaviors back onto their parents. The piece urges introspection on what values are being taught through actions, not just words.… Read More When the Behaviour You Taught Comes Back to You
The content discusses the impact of adult behavior on children’s understanding of kindness and relationships. It highlights the contradiction between teaching respect while adults engage in cruel behavior for amusement. The text emphasizes that children learn from adult actions, urging a reflection on how choices can influence their values and treatment of others.… Read More What Are We Really Teaching Our Children?
You are not a template — so why should your support be? When you have been struggling for a long time, sitting down for an hour and talking about what has happened can be helpful. But sometimes, talking is only the beginning. At Linda CJ Turner, we take a different approach. Rather than placing every client… Read More Why Our Approach Is Different: Therapy That Continues Between Sessions
“The elephant in the room” refers to an obvious yet uncomfortable issue that everyone acknowledges but avoids discussing due to potential embarrassment or conflict. This concept applies to various contexts, such as relationships, families, and workplaces, where acknowledging uncomfortable truths can lead to responsibility and confrontation.… Read More “The elephant in the room”
The author reflects humorously on her unconventional past relationship, contrasting her first husband’s attractiveness with her second’s physical mismatches. She acknowledges that attraction can extend beyond appearance, driven by emotional needs and circumstances. Ultimately, she returns to her original type, illustrating how personal preferences can resurface after significant experiences.… Read More “What Did You See in Him?” — Just Look at the Family Photo!
Starting a new relationship usually involves gradually getting to know one another. You talk about your past, your family, your previous relationships, your hopes, your mistakes and the experiences that have shaped you. But what happens when someone’s past includes convictions for domestic abuse, physical violence, threats or breaking restraining orders? At what point should a… Read More Coming Clean: Telling a New Partner About a History of Abuse, Violence or Restraining-Order Breaches
